


You Never Know

by WordsmithMusings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Kingsley & Nick are BFFS, Melting Pot Christmas in July, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Canon, Prompt Challenge, Travel, brief reference to war and past character death, frienships, hp mcu crossover, rare pairs, summer holidays - kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsmithMusings/pseuds/WordsmithMusings
Summary: Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nick Fury have been friends for decades. Once a year, they meet up to check in with each other face to face and talk through the night. The location always changes, but their respect and admiration for each other remain unchanged. Everyone needs a friend and confidant to talk about big life changes - and who remembers you when you had more hair.
Relationships: Nick Fury & Kingsley Shacklebolt
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23
Collections: Christmas in July 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for Melting Pot Fanfiction on Facebook's Christmas in July Summer Prompt Challenge.
> 
> Pairing: Nick Fury & Kingsley Shacklebolt  
> Location: Buenos Aires  
> Summer Word Prompt: Beach Bonfire 
> 
> _Thank you to the admins for running this fest. Def pushed me outside of my comfort zone since there aren't actually any beaches IN Buenos Aires LOL but I've always wanted to explore a friendship between Nick and Kings and this gave me that opportunity. Shout out to FaeOrabel for acting as my beta and taking a quick peek at everything for me._
> 
> _It's not my sandbox, I just like playing in the sand. Stay safe. xx the Wordsmith_

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/189254504@N02/50205292957/in/album-72157715417020977/)

### You Never Know

The international portkey dropped Kingsley Shacklebolt into the International Arrivals office of the Argentina Ministerio de Magia with little fanfare. He nodded at the Guard before slipping out of the room through the door to the right, and out into the balmy night air of beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina. He wished he had time to enjoy the city properly, but he still had 636 kilometers to go before he reached his final destination. Sighing, he made his way into the night and disapparated.

On a private stretch of beach outside of Monte Hermoso, sat a bonfire with a lone figure beside it. A twig cracked and the figure jumped, gun in hand, aimed directly at the man that emerged silently from the shadows. The man had his hands chest high displayed to show they were empty. They stood silently facing each other. One man dressed entirely in black and the other dressed in African robes. 

"What was the first thing you said to me after our mums introduced us?"

"Nobody calls me Nick. It's Fury. Just Fury."

Across from him, the other man snorted, "Like you were some kinda Black James Bond."

"Hey, we need a black James Bond."

"Says the American," came the scoffed reply of the British man.

"I didn't say he had to be American, just Black" he turned his head slightly, not lowering his weapon. "How did I really lose my eye?" he asked, indicating the patch covering his left eye.

"Flirting with a Flerken like the fool that you are."

"Hey man, Goose was a cool cat."

"Right, until the moment he took your damn eye out with his claws," replied Kingsley with an indelicate snort. 

Fury lowered his gun with a sigh before giving his long time friend a smile. They closed the distance between them and traded hugs with pats on the back. "So, you survived? All in one piece?" asked Fury, holding his friend at arm's length and checking him over with his one eye.

Kingsley nodded. "Battered and bruised, but alive."

"Loss of life?" 

"Not enough and too many at the same time," replied Kingsley with a shake of his head. War had consequences, this they both knew, and death was sadly one of those consequences. Fury had asked the same question after the First Wizarding War, and Kingsley had given the same answer. Not enough Death Eaters were taken down, and too many young lives ended before their time. It was the story of any and all wars, and it didn't matter if they were magical or Muggle, it seemed. "No matter who wins or loses, trouble still comes around," Fury told his friend with a meaningful look, and Kingsley only nodded, knowing the truth in his friend’s words. 

They made their way closer to the bonfire and sat down.

"Hey man, this ground is softer than I remembered it being a few minutes," Fury huffed as he sat down on the beach.

"Cushioning charm," replied Kingsley with a shrug. "We’re too old to just camp out on the ground anymore."

"Speak for yourself," teased Fury with a chuckle as he reached into the cooler for a couple of drinks. Kingsley thanked him and they sat side-by-side for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts as they sipped their beers. 

"So, what now?" Fury finally asked, breaking the silence. 

"We rebuild," shrugged Kingsley. "Again. The final battle was at Hogwarts. It'll take months to repair and rebuild. Ministry needs to be cleaned out. Trials," his voice trailed off for a moment before he cleared his throat, "They want me to be Minister."

"No shit!" exclaimed Fury with a laugh. "Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic. It's got a nice ring to it."

"Takes me out of the field," lamented Kingsley, picking at the label of his bottle. Fury nodded in understanding before finishing his beer. He sat it next to him before reaching for another one. Extending a second to Kingsley who hastily finished the first before accepting it with a nod of thanks. 

"Fieldwork is a young man's game," sighed Fury as they settled in with their second beers. 

"Is that what you told yourself?" huffed Kingsley, leaning back to sip his beer. "When you traded in fieldwork for the cushy director position?"

Fury shrugged, "There's still fieldwork to be done. There will always be things you have to handle yourself, but there's also always paperwork. Doesn't matter what your title is. Agent. Auror. Head Auror. Director. Minister. Paperwork. Red tape. Secrets. Politics. Bullshit. And more paperwork."

"You're really selling me on taking this job," sighed Kingsley.

Beside him, Fury laughed, "You know you're going to take it. Talking to me about it is just your way of confirming the decision you've already made."

"You don't know that."

"Sure, I do. Decades worth of friendship tells me so," he added bumping the other man's knee. "Just be glad you're already bald. Being on top makes your hair fall out faster."

Kingsley's head fell back, and he laughed heartily. "You’re full of shite. Is that what you've been telling people happened to all your hair? That's better than the damn alien story you've been telling people about your eye."

"Hey, the damn cat was an alien!" countered Fury. "Besides, there are people that have no idea I actually ever had hair. They just think I was born this bald and beautiful."

Kingsley laughed again as his friend stroked his bald head. "Not me! I know better - though now that I think about it, you with a fro, two good eyes, and a gun may be my boggart from now on."

"Kicking ass and taking names," grinned Fury, "calling everybody Mother fucker." They laughed together at the image, and Nick straightened the lapels of his jacket as if he were straightening a suit causing them both to laugh again. 

Eventually, their laughter gave way to silence once again, and they sank into it. Years of friendship meant there was no need to fill the emptiness with meaningless words or small talk. They sat together as the night progressed, sipping their beers, and enjoying the night air. Occasionally pointing out shooting stars as they relaxed into the warmth of the bonfire on the quiet beach in Argentina. The waves and crackling fire serving as their backdrop as their silence and conversation ebbed and flowed between them like the ocean tides stretched out before them. As dawn broke over the horizon, they rose and stretched. 

“Final thoughts?" asked Kingsley, carefully dismantling the fire before them. Erasing the trace of them ever being there with a few flicks of his wand. 

"Take the job. Clean house. Prevent another fucking war," stated Fury matter of factly. 

Kingsley nodded. "And for you?"

"I still got my eye on some people."

"Still looking for heroes," mused Kingsley.

"I will always believe in heroes," confirmed Fury unapologetically, "Even if they don't always believe in themselves."

Nodding, Kingsley turned his eye towards the horizon, watching silently as the sun erased the darkness with its light. 

"What about you, Kings? Any new heroes that need a hand after your war?"

Kingsley met his friend's eyes and nodded after several long moments, "A few. Mainly kids though. Veterans before their 20s." He shook his head ruefully, "Robbed of their childhoods by egomaniacs and fools that saw them as nothing but pawns on their board."

"Those players have been eliminated,” countered Fury. “It's time to help those heroes find their way. Show them they’re not pawns."

"If that's your recruitment speech, it won't work."

"You saying you ain't got anybody for me?" grinned Fury, settling his hands on his hip as he took in his friend.

Kingsley considered him for a moment, "I can think of someone," he confessed, "but I'd hate to lose her."

"Every agency needs a liaison," murmured Fury, "Just something to consider. You never know," he added looking out into the water. "The world may need saving again."

"You never know," Kingsley echoed with a sigh. 

"You hope for the best, then make do with what you get," added Fury. "It's up to us to make sure we're ready when it happens."


	2. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have always said this was the start of something else, and while I can't promise that I'll pick it up in 2021, I couldn't ignore the pull to post this now. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it and are staying safe. xx The Wordsmith

Hermione sat down, reluctantly at the kitchen table in Grimmauld place. Three months after Harry finally killed Voldemort, the home that once was headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix was now filled with ghosts instead of laughter. She could still hear Tonks' laughter and see Fred and George conspiring on the other side of the table in the Kitchen. Their eyes giving away their mischief even when they tried to deny their antics. A part of her wondered if she'd ever get over expecting to see Sirius or Remus come through the door deep in discussion or debate over one thing or another. She missed making them tea and sitting around the table with them.

Hermione was pulled out of her musings by the sound of the floor flailing to life, surprised to see Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new minister for magic, step through with a guest behind him. 

"Kings!" exclaimed Hermione rising easily from the table to hug the older man. "I'm sorry. I mean Mr. Minister," she amended quickly with a cheeky grin and a quick curtsy. The man behind Kingsley gave a low chuckle as Kingsley told her, "None of that. We've fought side by side for the better part of 4 years. Kings is just fine - in private." 

Hermione snickered at his wink and nodded. "Who's your friend?" she asked sweetly, taking in the man behind him. He was dressed in head to toe black with a long coat that was unnecessary in England's rare summer heat, and on his left eye was a distinctive black eye patch. He reminded her, she thought ruefully, of a combination of mad eye Moody and Lucius Malfoy - minus the rich dark skin color the man had. 

"Hermione, I want you to meet a very good friend of mine, Nick Fury. Fury, this is Hermione Granger."

Hermione offered the Man a nod and accepted the hand that he offered her. Noting that he had a firm handshake and calloused palm. 

"it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger."

"oh, you're American," breathed Hermione, her interest piqued. 

"I am."

Hermione could tell there was much more to say and asked if either man was thirsty, offering them coffee, tea, or water. 

"You have coffee here?" Fury asked skeptically, glancing around the kitchen. 

"I make a delightful espresso and latte, but you strike me more as a full drip, black, twos sugar kind of guy."

Fury eyed her carefully. "One sugar." Hermione held back her snort as he tapped his good eye and indicated that both men should sit while she set about making refreshments. 

"Now," she began setting down a tray with tea for she and Kingsley and Fury's black drip coffee with one sugar along with several biscuits and fairy cake upon the table, "why don't you come right out and tell me what exactly it is you want with me so I can tell you no and we can move along to the pleasantries."

"Why do you think we want something?" asked Fury taking a tentative sip of his coffee before eyeing it carefully. "This is good."

Hermione smiled sweetly at him. "I'm glad you like it. As for the other question," she added, dropping a sugar cube and a splash of milk to her own tea before taking a sip and fixing both men with her brown eyes, "kings brought a stranger, who judging by the look of you is at the very least a soldier, perhaps an officer of some kind…" she paused eyeing Nick carefully as she took another sip of her tea, "No a spy of some kind, someone who he trusted immensely with the secrets of our world because you're very obviously not a wizard-"

"And how do you know that?" Interrupted Fury, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You've been carefully taking everything in since you stepped out of the floo. You didn't wipe the soot from your clothes because you don't know to. You've never been here before, so you're not a member of the Order, despite your obvious military training, which means you're a muggle."

Kingsley chuckled softly across the table from her.

"How do you know I'm not a member of the Order?" Asked Nick, eye narrowing.

"Because if you had been, we would've met before now. You don't seem the type to steer clear of a fight."

"She has a point, Fury," chuckled Kingsley. 

Nick nodded as he continued to watch her closely, impressed that she didn't seem intimidated by him or to fidget under his gaze the way many others did.

"How do you know you're going to want to say no?"

Hermione carefully sat her teacup down and met Nick's gaze head-on. "Because I am not a soldier. I was cast into a war of another generation’s making at 11. I have fought for years, lost dear friends, and seen places I love destroyed, and now the war is won. I have lost my entire childhood, parents, and innocence to a world that most don't even know exists. I have the chance to finish my education - without the threat of a madman trying to kill me or being persecuted for my blood for the first time in my school career, and I'm going to take it."

"Those are all valid points, Hermione," stated Kingsley setting his own cup down.

"But?"

"No buts. I knew it was a longshot. I told Fury as much, but still, he wanted to meet you, and I thought it would be worth a chance. I can see now that I was wrong."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Not quite believing it was that easy, but nodded, thankful that she wouldn't have to fight him more. "Good. Now then. Mr. Fury, tell me about yourself. Was I right? Are you a muggle soldier?"

"In another life, I was a Colonel and, yes, a spy."

"And currently, in this life?"

"I am the Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Better known as S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And what does S.H.I.E.L.D. do?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded on the principle of one thing. Protection."

"Protection?" scoffed Hermione.

Nick nodded. "Protection. One word. Sometimes, to protect one man against himself. Other times, to protect the planet against an alien invasion from another universe. It's a broad job description.*"

"Did you just say, aliens?"

"I did."

Hermione glanced from one man to the other and felt herself cursing in her head as realization dawned on her. "And this is what you wanted to discuss with me?" She pointedly asked Kingsley. 

Before he could answer, Nick responded smoothly, "Every few years, S.H.I.E.L.D looks to broaden its horizons and talent pool. That occasionally leads us to various places around the world and to hidden worlds like yours."

"Why me?"

"Because you understand what it means to hide in plain sight. You're inquisitive, observant, resilient. You're also hungry for knowledge, patient, malleable to an extent, and have nothing left to lose."

The last sentence tore through her heart. It wasn't true, was it? Did she really have nothing left to lose? And just what was being offered. Her NEWTS were important for the magical world, but surely the States would require something more along the lines of her A levels. She asked as much and wasn't at all surprised when both men answered that her education was just as important to them and would continue. "Although it may be slightly different than you planned," added Nick.

"Alright, then," Hermione wiped her fingers on her napkin and leaned back in her chair, "You have five minutes to change my mind, Sir. Tell me why I should give up my plans for a career in the Magical World - because that is what we're talking about, is it not Kings?"

"It is," affirmed Kingsley. 

"Right. So tell me, Director Fury, why should I work for you and not Kingsley? What can you offer me that he can't?"

"I thought you had no intention of being an Auror Hermione." Stated Kingsley suddenly.

"I don't, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to opportunities in the DMLE in the Legal or Magical Creature Divisions. Or that I couldn't be persuaded to be an Unspeakable or join your staff directly."

"Fury, I change my mind. You can't have her. We need her."

Nick Fury never took his eye off of Hermione as a slow smile spread across his face. "No, old friend. The world needs her."

*A/N: Quote from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tv series episode, Beginning of the End (c) 2014

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos mean the world to me. Thanks for reading. Do you have a favorite MCU character? Who would you like to see pair up in friendship or otherwise. Drop me a note and let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> _Thanks for reading. Your comments and kudos mean the world to me. Be sure to check out the rest of the stories in the Fest. Until next time, xx The Wordsmith_


End file.
